21st Century Citizenship Skills and Technology Education

1. 21st Century Citizenship Skills and Technology Education Dr. Perry R. Gemmill Professor Department of Industry & Technology Millersville University

2. Establish the need for citizens to make informed and critical decisions regarding technology in our global community. Review examples in the literature for developing transferable citizenship skills within education. Discuss strategies for developing action-oriented citizenship skills within technology education. Major Goals

3. The Issue • Technological innovations are largely responsible for the advancement of civilization • Citizens are obliged to make informed and astute decisions regarding the development and use of technology in our global community

4. Society and Technology:Powerful Mutual Partners • Societal values determine the development and use of technology • Technology has benefits and risks having personal, economic, social, cultural, and environmental implications

5. Citizenship Skills for Responsible Decision Making and Problem Solving in a Democracy • Acquire and evaluate pertinent information • Think analytically and critically • Connect important ideas from different disciplines • Communicate clearly • Act ethically

6. Citizenship Skills for Responsible Decision Making and Problem Solving in a Democracy • Ask critical questions • Participate in discussions and debates • Articulate information to a variety of stakeholders • Manage an ever-growing number of artifacts and the associated rapid change

7. Need for Technologically Literate Citizens The National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council (2002) stated Although the United States is increasingly defined by and dependent on technology and is adopting new technologies at a breathtaking pace, its citizens are not equipped to make well-considered decisions or to think critically about technology. As a society, we are not even fully aware of or conversant with the technologies we use every day. In short, we are not ‘technologically literate.’ (p. 1)

8. The Nation’s Report Card on Technology and Engineering Literacy The 2012 National Assessment of Educational Progress Technology Literacy Framework has stated that a technologically literate person in the 21st century should be able to communicate and collaborate by participating “thoughtfully and productively in discussing critical societal issues involving technology related to humans, the environment, knowledge, and citizenship” (p. 1-8).

9. Types and the Impacts of Technology Knowledge Needed by Citizens The Committee on Assessing Technological Literacy (2006) elaborated An understanding of what technology is, how it works, how it is created, how it shapes society, and how society influences technological development is critical to informed citizenship. Technological choices influence our health and economic well-being, the types of jobs and recreation available, even our means of self-expression. How well citizens are prepared to make those choices depends in large part on their level of technological literacy. (Garmire & Pearson, p. 1)

10. Development of Citizenship Skills in European Countries The United Kingdom, Belgium, Finland, Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain have students democratically solving problems or fulfilling missions within their classes and engaging in extracurricular activities to develop transferable citizenship skills (Engaging People in Active Citizenship, 2006).

11. Development of Citizenship Skills in Another European Country Scotland educators engage their students in enterprising approaches to learn citizenship skills leading to “thoughtful participation in school and community affairs, respect and care for others and an awareness of political and democratic processes” (Deucher, 2004, p. 238).

12. Development of Civic and Social Responsibility Within a University • Millersville University requires undergraduate students to develop civic and social responsibility as a component of their General Education • Students are encouraged to communicate clearly, think critically, and make value judgments and decisions in resolving major social, cultural, scientific, technological, and aesthetic problems

13. Connections and Exploration • Students will connect important ideas and methods of inquiry from different disciplines as a means of becoming holistic and responsible citizens in a diverse and technologically complex, global community. (Millersville University 2009-2010, p. 36) • First year Inquiry (FYI) seminars • I Pod, You Tube: Our Technological Choices • Perspectives • Technology and Its Impact on Humans • Futurology: Technology, Society and Change • Technology Assessment: The Amish and Others

14. Technology Education Contributions to Citizenship Skills Technology education enables student citizens to meet these technological literacy goals: • apply technology in communicating, inquiring, designing, and problem solving • manage the resources, processes, outcomes, and feedback of technological systems • assess the development, applications, and impacts of technology • understand the nature of technology, the technological and engineering design processes, and the benefits, risks, and constraints of creating and using technology

15. Action-Oriented Technology Education Contributions to Citizenship Skills Student citizens are actively engaged in • Creating solutions to open-ended technological problems and challenges • Designing, modeling, prototyping, producing, and servicing technological innovations and systems • Contributing to a student-centered, democratically managed, technological enterprise

16. Action-Oriented Technology Education Contributions to Citizenship Skills Student citizens are actively engaged in • Communicating views of technology, accommodating viewpoints of others, and debating critical society and technology issues • Assessing the evolution of technology and forecasting future creative developments • Developing ethical perspectives on the creation, uses, and impacts of technology

17. Action-Oriented Technology Education Contributions to Citizenship Skills Student citizens are actively engaged in • Participating in technology and engineering student organization governance, competitive events, and community service activities • Enjoying the use and study of technology • Making rational, holistic, and responsible technological choices and decisions

18. Roles of the Technology & Engineering Teacher in Developing Citizenship Skills • Communicator: Presents, discusses, and applies knowledge, skills, and dispositions of global citizenship • Role model: Shares personal values, stimulates open discussion, and demonstrates democratic practices • Facilitator: Enhances student action-oriented inquiry, decision-making, problem solving, and responsibility • Resource manager: Procures and shares ecologically sound learning materials and strategies • Evaluator: Assesses and reflects on student and program citizenship outcomes

19. Concluding Remark • Technologically literate citizens will make and influence intelligent decisions that advance civilization through technological progress.

20. Concluding Remark • For student citizens to develop habits of civic engagement and a critical awareness of technology and engineering, they need to be immersed in the culture of a student-centered, democratic learning environment.

21. Concluding Remark • The student-centered technology education environment should empower the learners to make democratic decisions, create solutions to fulfill societal needs/desires, and be accountable for their actions.

22. Concluding Remark • Students who have this inquiry-based, experiential exposure in technology education will be prepared with the skills needed to actively contribute as informed, responsible citizens in our dynamic technological global society of the 21st century.

23. Bibliography Deuchar, R. (2004). Changing paradigms–the potential of enterprise education as an adequate vehicle for promoting and enhancing education for active and responsible citizenship: illustrations from a Scottish perspective. [Electronic version]. Oxford Review of Education, 30(2), 223-239. Engaging people in active citizenship: New perspectives for learning - Briefing paper 44. (n.d.). Retrieved December 28, 2006, http://www.pjb.co.uk/npl/bp44.htm Garmire, E. & Pearson, G. (Eds.). (2006). Tech tally: Approaches to assessing technological literacy (Executive summary) [Electronic version]. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Gil-Perez, D. & Amparo, V. (2005). The contribution of science and technological education to citizens’ culture. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education [Electronic version], 5(2), 253-262. Millersville University seize the opportunity undergraduate catalog 2009-2010. (n.d.). Millersville, PA: Millersville University. National Academy of Engineering & National Research Council. (2002). Technically speaking–Why all Americans need to know more about technology. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. National Assessment Governing Board. (2010, February 19). Technological Literacy Framework for the 2012 National Assessment of Educational Progress [Draft]. Retrieved from http://www.edgateway.net/cs/naepsci/download/lib/246/100222NAEPTechLitFrameworkDraft.pdf?x-r=pcfile_d Sperling, E. (2009). ‘More than particle theory’: Action-oriented citizenship through science education in a school setting. Journal for Activitist Science & Technology Education, 1(2), 12-30.

24. Thank you for your participation.Dr. Perry R. Gemmillperry.gemmill@millersville.edu